Inclusive Practices in Alternative Dispute Resolution: Delivering People-centred Justice in Somalia
Somalia’s Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Centres promote access to justice by providing a platform for the settlement of disputes using statutory or customary law. This is a proven approach to enhancing community justice and building a more peaceful and inclusive society.
At the same time, conservative and patriarchal features of Somali customary law can result in the systematic exclusion of marginalized groups, particularly women, youth, internally displaced persons (IDPs), ethnic minorities and members of minority clans, and reduce the prospects of those groups receiving fair justice outcomes. Engaging with these systems to increase access to justice for all and promote compliance with human rights standards is therefore essential.
The issue brief Inclusive Practices in Alternative Dispute Resolution: Delivering People-Centred Justice in Somalia provides an overview of the key justice challenges confronting excluded and marginalized groups such as women, youth and IDPs, among others, and outlines how these have been addressed in the ADR Centres. In doing so, it aims to inform the development of similar interventions engaging with customary and informal justice, and to showcase how equitable and people-centred justice can be delivered through diverse pathways to justice.
